ick. double ick.

At Target the other day, I happened upon a truly bizarre item: a calendar of images that are the fruit of a collaboration between Celine Dion and Anne Geddes. Apparently there's also a book, with accompanying music tracks.

Now, I have never been much for cutsey decor, and so I've never really understood the appeal of Geddes's art -- you know, the babies-as-still-life-objects thing. I've also never really understood the appeal of Celine Dion (although I have seen a couple of great drag queens lipsync in homage and that was all right).

But look at these pictures (at the link above). Does anyone else find these as creepy and weird as I do? First of all, newborns are not especially pretty or cute to anyone except their biological relatives. These pics are all of babies too young to even have their eyes open. Then, she's photoshopped the images so that they appear as if they're sleeping inside flowers or other plant parts. It's all vaguely and disturbingly sexualized, yet with a crystalline veneer of "sweet innocence," as if the Sugar Plum Fairy were channelling Georgia O'Keefe.

Who buys this stuff? People who have kids surely have their own pictures of their own little darlings. So is this for people who don't have kids? If so, what is the appeal? Or is it just for OBGYN offices, baby clothing stores, or other themed settings?